Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-04-16
The NAVAL ACADEMY.

THE NAVAL ACADEMY.
One Of the Distinctive Institutions Of
Annapolis, Capital OF Maryland.
Especial Correspondence
ANNAPOLIS, Md, April O.
The way to the Naval academy is down .
narrow street, bordered with picturesque
houses and lovely yards. We walk In the
gate guarded by soldiers and at once behold a
charming stretch Of well kept lawn, with
plenty of shade trees, and punctuated BY
monuments and cannon and other warlike
ornaments Cadets in their neat suits march
around in companies. They are handsome
fellows, well developed, strong looking and
Intelligent No wonder that there are SO
many pretty girls and interested sight seers
about, for, say what we may, there Ii un-
doubted fascination in the blue suits and brass
buttons Of these future heroes Of our future
wars-or rather these future officers Of our
future navy.
We inspect tie large buildings, see the
many pretty cottages where the officers and
their families live and look over the practice
grounds and such. Describe tlleml What's
the uses once heard an architect describe q
building to young lady. He did it thor
oughly. She was all attention. At last, when
uc uiiisHeu WoIu piCtui0. VIC youiis iouJ
looked up in her innocence and said: "Thnnk
you, but what is it like, anyhow On the
Naval academy grounds you see large, long.
brick buildings, and plenty Of them, pleasant
little cottages, and plenty Of them. What
are they like9 They are like brick buildings
and cottages.
But il you want history instead Of descrip-
ton help yourself Annapolis is chock full of
it, Almost any child will tell you that
George Bancroft. the historian, is responsible
for the Naval academy. He became secretary
of the navy in 1915. He saw the need Of es-
tabiishing IN institution for the instruction
Of naval officers. He appointed board to
examine Fort Severn and to report upon its
desirability as the place for the academy.
This fort was an army post, the site OF which
was purchased in 1858, at period when
Annapolis was deemed place of military I'M
portance. The grounds consisted of ten
acres, beautifully located on the Severn river
On one Of its points the patriots Of 1775 made
the owner Of the Peggy Stewart, whom they
suspected, run his vessel ashore and burn
her. This place was selected as the location
Of the new school. Gradually the site was
extended, until now it embraces within and
without the academy 159 acres, with large,
substantial buildings and all the equipments
of first class naval institution To be ad-
United, candidates must lie between Is and 10
years Of age and physically sound and, as a
| general thing, must undergo a competitive
| examination.
Life in the Naval academy grounds is terri
bly, exclusive. There are enough people to
form pretty big society circle, and they are
clannish to such a degree as to comprise a
little aristocracy in themselves The balls,
| Of course, are delightful, as all the cadets are
excellent dancers and everything is done to
make the visitors enjoy themselves. But the
| aristocracy obtrudes itself into the ballroom,
| and woe be to him or her upon whom it puts
| its disfavor. Here is an illustration that oc-
CURED not many months ago. A cadet had
! met very pretty girl in Annapolis; she
| dressed well, talked well and danced we'll
| Everybody spoke well of her, but she hap
pened to be the daughter of carpenter an
honest, honorable man, but n carpenter
The cadet escorted her to one Of the hops At
once aristocracy WAS up in arms Two Of the
managers waited on him and informed him
| that IL lie took her on the floor to dance he
would be cut by his fellows and all the excu-
| sives. The cadets manhood struggled against
~ policy, but he saw u.niculties l..ead OF him,
| his name blacklisted, and his future EN-
dangered, and so policy won and manhood
| was defeated. He passed a miserable evening,
|
escorted her back home. Folly, you say?
Certainly it is. But if you want to get into
| Naval academy society you'd better not say
! t again.
| Dozens Of stories could be told about the
| cadets ard their pranks. The days of hazing
are over, thanks to the sovereign power of
congress and the stern justice of the court
, martial, but the 800 and odd cadets manage
to enjoy themselves as well as to get GOOD
| education and to see the world during the
| long cruises II you want to see the academy
| in its glory you should visit 1T in June when
the graduating exercises take place, when
thousands Of pretty girls and fond parents
are here, when nature and the brass bands
| and the guns and the birds and the orators
are all sending forth their sweetest and loud
| est eloquence.
"What large building is that over therel"
"Oh, l thought you would ask that ques-
ton. That is 'Porter's Folly You don't
understand! Well, there's a story to it, and
| here it is: When Admiral Porter was super-
intendent of the academy he looked upon that
beautiful biuif over there across the creek a.
splendid site for u hospital and a naval
metropolis. His observation dcepened into
conviction and in 1868 he got the board of
visitors, who, US agents of the government,
come down here every June and get fat on
long Nothing ut handsome per diem, to
make thh suggestion officially. 1t was done.
One hundred acres of land were bought and
hospital, costing Sl20,000, was erected A
regular corps of doctors and domestics
awaited the avalanche of patients. None
| came. The institution was entirely useless.
| Congress refused to maintain it. The weather
"otted its grand porticos and lightning
| destroyed its pillars aud cornices The cene-
cry around it contains several heroes, among
hem Lockm ood, who reached the furtherrnost
i'oint norhward in the Greedy expedition.
The broad acres are used as a kind of Dark
'ut 'Porters Folly the great hospital tina,
was to be, is going gradually and steadily t,
pieces and to ruin. ALFRED ANDERSON
He Had n Call to the Rear.